The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 37

37. Only Look at Me

“Whoa, whoa.”

Linelle grabbed Melanie’s wrists with one hand as she approached, waving her arms, and turned to his secretary.

“Raphael, is there a law stating that the Emperor must spend the first night with a concubine?”

“There is no such law. Only the first night with the Empress is stipulated by law.”

Raphael glanced at the whining Melanie and answered him.

“That’s the law.”

Linelle said to her soothingly.

“Calm down and go back to bed and rest.”

Linelle reassured her again.

“But… you came all the way here…”

When Melanie continued to whine, he turned to Raphael again. Raphael, as if waiting, began to reel off the records of the Emperor and the concubine’s first night.

“I regret to report… there are records indicating that the number of former emperors who took concubines and never met them totaled two thousand.”

I suddenly wondered why Raphael memorized such useless knowledge, but I guess he did it to use it in cases like this.

“Melanie, congratulations.”

Linelle said, patting her on the shoulder.

“Congratulations? Your Majesty, are you going to stay in my chambers tonight? Oh, I’m so happy!”

Melanie jumped up and down again, delighted.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He mimicked Melanie’s cute tone, instantly crushing her joy.

“Yes? That wasn’t the meaning…?”

“It meant congratulations on meeting me today. They say the number of concubines who were never met by former emperors is two thousand. You’re at least not one of them, so congratulations.”

“Heeing.”

“You seem to be good at running. Seeing you cry like a horse.”

“Your Majesty!”

Melanie called him in a desperate voice.

“In the future, don’t roll down the stairs; run across the fields beyond the back garden.”

“Phooey.”

She puffed out her cheeks as if sulking at Linelle’s cold expression and shook her head wildly. At this point, I seriously suspected that Melanie might have been a horse in her previous life. I wanted to tell Sharon to bring some carrots and give them to Melanie.

“Empress, let’s go.”

Linelle sighed and gently turned my back.

“But, but! You went to Catherine’s chambers yesterday, didn’t you?”

Melanie shouted urgently as we were about to turn around together.

“Who says I went to her chambers?”

Linelle turned to her and asked.

“Yes? Then Catherine, no, Catherine also yesterday…”

“Yes, she probably slept alone. Although she didn’t roll down the stairs like someone else.”

Linelle added that she should just go to bed and lie down.

“Then when will you come to my chambers?”

Linelle replied without hesitation to Melanie’s desperate voice from behind.

“When I hear the news that you jumped up the stairs at once without rolling down, I will visit again.”

That was a definite no. As I was led out by his hand, I glanced back at Melanie. She had a look of great regret, repeating ‘Uh-uh…!’ and making a blank expression with one hand raised in the air. It was the moment when another concubine, following Catherine, began to think of me as an enemy.

“You could have said it a little more gently.”

I said to him as soon as we left Melanie’s chambers.

“I did my best. Don’t scold me.”

Linelle looked up at the full moon and replied.

“How dare I scold Your Majesty.”

“Zelda, haven’t you already committed too many things you ‘dare’ not do to me? Even in my palace bedroom.”

He grabbed his chin, opened and closed his mouth wide, and glanced down at my feet.

“My mouth still hurts.”

“…Should I roll somewhere like Melanie?”

“Uh.”

He replied as if waiting for it to happen when I threw out a joke.

“I’ll decide where the Empress will roll.”

“……”

What a cold man.

“Please, somewhere not too badly hurt.”

“You won’t get hurt. And I won’t leave you to roll alone.”

He put his arm around my shoulder and quickened his pace.

“Let’s go, let’s roll.”

“Where is it?”

“Do you really need to know now?”

“I need to prepare myself. Is it a place you can’t tell me now?”

“There’s no reason why not.”

Linelle answered readily and turned around. Then he suddenly ordered the servants who were following us.

“Everyone, turn around, look up, and admire that full moon for a moment!”

What on earth is he talking about? The servants, like me, were all flustered and murmured at the Emperor’s sudden order.

“I know you all often have to bow your heads all day long. At least at times like this, lift your heads and admire that beautiful full moon.”

The servants looked at Linelle with respect.

“Everyone, look up. And purify your hearts by looking at the full moon!”

“Your Majesty’s deep meaning makes this humble one sob.”

“I am amazed at Your Majesty’s consideration for us.”

“It’s a beautiful night, Your Majesty!”

Linelle’s servants, as well as my servants, joined in praising him.

“Okay, everyone, turn around. You must not lower or turn your heads until I give the order. Understood?”

“Yes, we will obey your command!”

The servants chanted in unison and began to turn around, lift their heads, and admire the full moon. I was about to lift my head to look at the full moon like the servants, but Linelle put his hand on the top of my head and gently pushed it down. Because of that, my raised head went down again. My gaze met his face, which shone brighter than the full moon.

“You said you wanted to know.”

He whispered.

“Yes?”

“The place where the Empress should roll.”

“Ah, where is that… um?!”

A peck, then Linelle’s lips stuck to mine deeply and then pulled away.

“Here.”

“The place I should roll?”

I asked, pointing to my lips with my finger.

“Yes.”

“No, what kind of…”

Nonsense? …I thought. But even if the words didn’t make sense, my body was reacting. Just as my lips were about to part, he took his lips off,

“The full moon is very bright.”

He said, hugging me from behind. His breath tickled my ears.

Linelle’s hand gently turned my chin to the side. His cool breath and soft touch entered my mouth. His kisses never acted alone. They took care of me nicely and rolled gently. His kiss felt more dangerous and dizzying than rolling down the stairs. We enjoyed the thrill with many servants right in front of us. The servants, who had no idea what the Emperor and Empress were doing behind their backs, were gesturing at the full moon and enjoying themselves.

I was worried that the servants might turn around.

“No one’s watching. It’s the Emperor’s order.”

Linelle, who had read my worried expression, chuckled and whispered. Still, when I kept glancing at the servants, he changed places again and stood in front of me. He covered both sides of my face with his hands and said.

“Only look at me.”

His smile, with the moonlight behind him, was ecstatic. I felt like I was going blind. I was afraid that not only my eyes but also my reason would go blind. I wanted to escape from his perfect face looking at me. So I closed my eyes altogether. When I couldn’t see his face, I felt courageous and suddenly wanted to feel him. I raised my chin and offered him my lips. I knew Linelle would be staring down at my face with a smile. He never hesitated for long. To that place where only he and I could share the sensation. I liked that he came in sweetly without making me wait. I was so happy that I completely forgot that there were servants in front of us. After a while, I slowly opened my eyes.

“Linelle…”

“Don’t call me with that look, unless you want to surprise the servants in this place.”

Linelle raised my chin and gave a subtle smile. The scent of lavender blew in the wind. It was a welcome scent that calmed my rough breathing. I almost lost my legs and collapsed on the floor. I felt something fading away. I needed something to support my body. Instinctively, I gently grabbed his waist with both hands. Then his firm arms took me into his arms. It was warm and cozy. It was a distinctly different feeling from the hot energy I usually felt. At that moment, the word I had never thought of almost popped out of my mouth at Linelle’s gaze looking down at me.

“Is it love?”

That word that was lingering in my head came out of Linelle’s mouth first.

“What… what did you say just now?”

I was surprised that he was thinking the same thing as me. And it was even more surprising that he said it out loud.

“I’m sure I like you, but if I say I love you already, I thought I’d seem too eager, so I put a question mark at the end.”

Is it already love for us? If there is a house called love, he was like a person just about to open the front door. I couldn’t believe that lovely look in his eyes looking at me now.

“Is it in progress? If so, you’ll have to speed things up a bit.”

He said in a pleading tone, pressing his forehead against mine. The Emperor of the Lapion Empire, that is.

“I think I’m almost there.”

“……Where?”

“To that feeling. If you come too slowly, I’ll be too… lonely.”

“Lonely?”

“Yes, enduring it. Here.”

Linelle grabbed my hand and took it to his heart.

“So speed up your feelings too.”

“I’m confident when it comes to speed.”

I said jokingly, laughing for no reason because I was embarrassed.

“Hmph, with such a delicate body, what speed?”

He grabbed my sunken waistline with both hands and belittled my stamina. I opened my mouth to retort to Linelle, but I just made a docile expression. That’s because I remembered what Sharon, Sollye, and Theresa had told me so much in my ear today, that is, on the way back from the greenhouse. . . .

‘Your Majesty, I’m saying this out of concern, but you must not show off your strength in front of His Majesty. Got it?’

‘That’s right. Other women often tap the person next to them with their hands when they laugh, but Your Majesty, absolutely! You must not do that. Promise me!’

‘Sometimes you drop your fork while eating, and you can do that, right?’

I listened to their advice silently, but there was a part that I couldn’t understand at all, so I asked back.

‘Why drop the fork?’

‘That’s proof that you’re that weak.’

‘Ah, men like that?’

When I asked with a puzzled expression, they all nodded. I couldn’t understand. Is the ideal type of men a woman with exhausted energy right before being taken care of?

‘It causes a protective instinct.’

‘You want to protect them if they’re weak.’

Ah, so that’s why no one has ever protected me in my life. The mystery of my lonely life was solved like this. . . . Anyway, Linelle was surprisingly thinking of me as a weak wife. Then it would be good to let him believe that, right? But I didn’t want to look too weak.

“It’s true that my body is delicate… but still, I’m not as weak as I look.”

“Really? Really?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe it until I prove it?”

“……Proof?”

I looked around the garden. Oh, there was a rock that was suitable for lifting a little further away. Should I lift that rock to prove it? I can’t. Then I can’t drop the fork later……. As I stared at the rock and hesitated, Linelle quietly watched me and said quietly.

“There, that rock.”

As expected, he was thinking the same thing as me.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Shall we rest there for a while?”

“……Ah!”

Was that what he meant? I was secretly releasing the strength in my wrist and stopped. I almost threw that rock at the full moon.